Naturopathic eardrops are an effective alternative to traditional medicated drops, say researchers. The study followed 103 youngsters with acute otitis media. All subjects suffered from ear pain and were aged 6 to 18 years.

Half of the subjects were given Otikon eardrops, a naturopathic herbal extract containing garlic, mullein, calendula and St. John’s wort in olive oil. The other group received anesthetic drops containing ametocaine and phenazone in glycerin. Drops were administered three times each day. Both groups showed similar improvement in pain scores over three days, as evidenced by visual analog scores. “Otikon, an ear drop formulation of naturopathic origin, is as effective as anesthetic ear drops and was proven appropriate for the management of acute otitis media associated ear pain,” conclude the study’s authors.